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iMOD vs Cowon J3

post #1 of 32
2/19/13 at 5:20am
Thread Starter 

iMOD vs Cowon J3 which one should I get?

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post #2 of 32
2/19/13 at 1:57pm

In practice, they'll both sound the same unless you're using the Cowon's BBE (because all good amps sound the same, minus trivialities of signature you can EQ.) I'd say that the Cowon is cheaper, more convenient, and if you listen to rock then the BBE stuff is actually pretty damn good.

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post #3 of 32
2/19/13 at 2:55pm

+1 for the J3

I love mine but it will probably be replaced by the Fiio X3. But only maybe.

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post #4 of 32
2/20/13 at 7:21am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Tom Yum Goong View Post

+1 for the J3

I love mine but it will probably be replaced by the Fiio X3. But only maybe.

I'm waiting for a platform the can run SonicMax and/or Exciter with as good a DAC/amp as the J3 - and the J3 is good enough that I'm willing to wait indefinitely.

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post #5 of 32
2/20/13 at 5:23pm

You can get a sonicmaxpro app for iphone/ipad/ipod touch. 

 

I didnt find it improved my experience when used with my Fostex hp_p1 though.

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post #6 of 32
2/20/13 at 8:51pm
Thread Starter 

in terms of sq if you had to pick one?

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post #7 of 32
2/21/13 at 4:26am
Quote:
Originally Posted by ExpatinJapan View Post

You can get a sonicmaxpro app for iphone/ipad/ipod touch. 

 

 

 

This is true,but getting SonixMax with iTunes is like getting a free chocolate bar with every case of cancer.

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post #8 of 32
2/21/13 at 4:28am
Thread Starter 

How is the sq of j3 against the colorfly c3?

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post #9 of 32
2/21/13 at 4:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by uchihaitachi View Post

in terms of sq if you had to pick one?

 

The J3 has more versatile EQ letting you tune to your tastes more, so that to your ears it will probably sound better. 

 

Other than that.... The truth is that except for sound signature, which a decent player can change with EQ, all competent DAPs will sound the same. It's headphones and IEMs that have really interesting characteristics that can't be duplicated with EQ. The J3 has studio derived BBE technology for EQ and enough amp and battery capacity that you don't need to think about adding an amp to drive any sane portable headphone.

 

However, sq with either will depend far more on the headphones/iem than the DAP - my $30 Clip+ driving my HD25's kicks the J3's ass playing rock when the J3 is driving  Ety HF5s (the Etys are great on clarity but have gutless bass.) If you want good sq, the real decision is what IEMs/heaphones to buy, then leftover money gets used for the DAP.

 

Warning! People who believe that amps can have magical properties indetectible by electronic engineering will disagree me with and say the mod pod will sound completely different depending on the amp you choose and that this can't be duplicated by EQ... However, these claims never survive blind testing, so a sensible person would ignore them.

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post #10 of 32
2/22/13 at 6:45am

can anyone reocmmend a replacement for the j3 (or advise where i can get a j3, unfortunately i lost mine)

 

am using shure se535 special edition, but also plug into audioengine A5 desktop speakers

 

most concerned with sound quality, but loved the j3's 32gb storage (plus sd slots) and battery life.  would ideally like to stay in the same price range and not carry a separate amp.

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post #11 of 32
2/22/13 at 6:59am

Welcome to Head-Fi and sorry for your wallet!

You could get one of Cowons new X9 players or the Z2.

As far as I know there is no real upgrade in this pricerange.

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post #12 of 32
2/22/13 at 7:19am

thanks for the response, but i heard negative things about the android cowon players and was trying to avoid...

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post #13 of 32
2/22/13 at 7:31am

Oh the X9 runs Android too? Didn't know that :P
Hmmm maybe one of the newer Sony players. They run Android too, but way more stable. On the other hand, they don't have a SD slot :/

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post #14 of 32
2/22/13 at 7:38am

The x9 doesnt run android,  it runs cowon flash based os,  cowon have 2 android player so far in z2 and d3

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post #15 of 32
2/22/13 at 8:39am
Quote:
Originally Posted by stevedave View Post

can anyone reocmmend a replacement for the j3 (or advise where i can get a j3, unfortunately i lost mine)

 

The J3 is still sold on Amazon.

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